What you put up with at work...

[vashti]

This happened the day before yesterday, and I was so freaked out I couldn't even post about till today:

Two patients crashing on you at the same time on a Sunday, when there are limited resources available in the hospital. One is declared an ICU patient (hello? I'm not an ICU nurse!), but she must stay with me until someone in ICU dies to make room for her. The other one has cardiac dysrhythmias, and is incontinent of bowel and bladder. Naturally, he has diarrhea, making it necessary to change his bedding and clothing no less than 6 times during my shift.

Meanwhile, a 3rd patient: a lovely little old lady with mild dementia (and a very high fall risk) insists she wants to leave this "bed and breakfast establishment" and go home, so continually tries crawling out of her bed, so eventually - despite the fact that you HATE restraints - you end up tying this sweet little old lady to the bed.

Add to that a 4th patient with a below-the-knee amputation with poorly controlled pain, which makes him understandably hostile each time you enter the room, and he yells at you in Spanish because he speaks limited English. Oh yeah, he is also in isolation because of MRSA and C-diff, so every time you walk in, you have to dress and undress yourself from head to toe in protective wear, which sucks royally when your other patients are of such high acuity.

What a crappy day that was. The worst day ever. If I had two days like that in a row, I believe I would end up running from the hospital while screaming.



Hey charlieboy - why do you have a client like that? Is this pro bono work that you are assigned, or what? it doesn't seem right that you should have to tolerate crazy people threatening you with lawsuits.

[starbuck]

Vash, that sounds AWFUL. I don't think I'd have the stomach for it. Not to be insenstive, but those people should be grateful someone is there to pick up their poop. (In a third world country, chances are they'd be lying in it)

The part about restraining the little old lady made me laugh though.

[vashti]

Vash, that sounds AWFUL. I don't think I'd have the stomach for it. Not to be insenstive, but those people should be grateful someone is there to pick up their poop. (In a third world country, chances are they'd be lying in it)

He'd be lying in it outside the hospital, too. He was a homeless man.

[vashti]

Stinking, nasty, mean, drug-addicted mother of 12 year old boy taking swings at me all day long and trying to kick me. She was verbally abusive and threatened to sue. She punched her husband in the face. We tied her down, so she started spitting. She even managed to break the bi-pap machine while tied down. Eventually she had to be transferred to ICU where they could give her one-on-one care, and she screamed the whole time during the transport.

Freakin' disgusting drug addicts. They are poor excuses for human beings, and I hate 'em. And I hope the social worker takes that poor boy away from her.

[Illusional]

in japan, i seen a guy trying to take a shit on the sidewalk...

raverboy

[Rollerderby]

I was nanny for a little while. The little boy would try to pull my pants down and touch ME in my private places. They used to try to barge in on me in the bathroom. I would tell the mother the behavior of her kids but all I ever got was, "If you can't control them, they won't respect you."

What kind of ass backwards advice is that? Her children were out of control, and I was not allowed to raise my voice to them. I was basically being asked to be their slave so I walked.

[Rollerderby]

Right now I'm sick of filling out application after application for positions and not hearing a peep back. I search on craig's list or monster and nothing. Except bullshit insurance companies. I kind of envy you guys with a job.

[Indignant]

didn't you say that you had a modeling contract?

[1averagejoe]

I don't work during the school year...

But my first job was at a grocery store and I absolutely hated it! Hated it! Hated it! The managers were absolute dicks, they gave me grave yard shift for an entire week even though I specifically mentioned I couldn't do that. Then you'd get the creepers in at night, the people that would try to steal shit. It sucked balls.

Then I got an internship for a pretty big aerospace company. I was doing work in IT and it was really cool. The two guys I shared and office with pretty much took me under their shoulders and taught me A LOT. You did get some idiots that didn't know jack shit about computers and talking to them was like talking to a tree. But the majority of the people that worked there were engineers and did have a pretty decent amount of knowledge about computers so it was actually a really cool internship. I loved it.

[starbuck]

in japan, i seen a guy trying to take a shit on the sidewalk...

raverboy

I've seen that here in NYC, too. More than once.

[Rollerderby]

didn't you say that you had a modeling contract?

Are you talking to me? No?

[Junket]

I bend, cut, and install electrical metallic tubing.

Big Boss has been on the job the entire week, for whatever reason.

It has the foreman on edge all the time, but I don't pay no mind besides making sure I'm busy doing something when he's around.

Honestly?

I enjoy what I do.

I either enjoy, or pay no mind to the guys I work with.

The only thing I have to complain about is the fact I'm getting paid 12 an hour, which is what I was getting paid a year ago, even though I can do a hell of a lot more.

[IndiReloaded]

Vash, that sounds AWFUL. I don't think I'd have the stomach for it.

Me either. In fact, I knew this after my first summer rotation as a physicians assistant in 3rd year uni. People are messed up enough when they are healthy, some become complete basket cases when they aren't.

Vash, I remember quite a few burnt out, bitter nurses in those 2 years. Some rather young. I know I don't know much about your field, but I did observe that the best nurses seemed to be the ones that managed to feel sorry for these nutcases, rather than judgmental. I dunno if it is personality or just the mindset they decided on, but it seemed to work for them. Not that those folks don't deserve to be judged, but more that its like dialing a number where there's noone home. Frustration for you and no real change for them.

My 2 cents as an objective outside observer. FWIW.

Oh, and my personal work frustrations are more like Charlie Boy's & Blues. Dealing with the occassional demanding or unreasonable client. And massaging the egos of the young entitlement generation in order to get them to work. I generally enjoy the energy of this age group, but if there is one thing I dislike about the 20 somethings, its the attitude "its not *my* job". Older generation seem to understand the value of teamwork, where when one wins, everyone wins. There seems to be a lot more ppl now just out for themselves and can't see the bigger picture. Disturbing.

[vashti]

Hah! I genuinely like this job, and I don't really worry about being bitter. This is a great job. I am NEVER bored, and I don't have to sit behind a desk all day. I never think about work when I leave, and I can pretty much choose my own schedule. I work with (mostly) fantastic, down-to-earth people, and the majority of my patients are lovely people. The ones that I post about on here are the colorful ones that we laugh about at the end of the day. (But yes, they are disgusting.) I think a good sense of humor is a necessary trait of being a nurse.

The last crazy lady I posted about shared a room with another patient whose son was a fireman. We laughed all day long about how fast I can duck.
I felt sorry for the primary physician, though. He is stuck with her.

Anyway, this is just a venting thread.

[IndiReloaded]

All the nurses I know, including my college friend, have a shocking sense of humour. Literally. The jokes this gal tells make *me* blush, and that is a pretty difficult thing to do. There is absolutely no topic about the human body that this gal is afraid to discuss or make jokes about. LOL.